Amazing Synthetic Greens & Lawns : Backyard PGA Golf Lessons

The Set-up

Club Selection
Use a club that will get the ball three feet onto the green so the ball may roll the rest of the distance to the hole on the ground. You must learn to chip with different clubs if you want to be prepared for every shot.

Grip
You can use your normal grip or a slight variation. You should choke down to the same point on all your chipping clubs to standardize the feel. Grip down halfway to the steel at least, for control.

Ball Position
Play the ball just insidethe big toe of your rear foot and lean the shaft toward the target so the butt of the grip points to your hip.

Stance
Place your feet close together to limit weight shift. Point both feet forward and perpendicular to your target line. This will leadto consistent ball position. When you open your stance your ball position will tend to vary from shot to shot. This will also help the technique of swinging the club back on slight arc similar to the putting stroke. Keep your hands close to your body for control. The shaft should be more vertical than a normal set up. That will help you swing the club on the proper path.

Weight Distribution
Settle your weight 80-20 on your front foot to promote a downward hit. Make sure you have your nose four to six inches in front of the ball. The weight should stay on the front foot on the backswing to prevent the wrists from wanting to scoop the ballon the forward swing.

The Swing
Chipping is largely about feel. If you simply focus on how you want the shot to look (the flight, the bounce and the roll),
you’ll be surprised how natural the mechanics will be. Fact is, you’ve built in all the angles you need at address, so don’t worry so much about the mechanics and simply play the picture in your mind. Distance control on short shots will be determined largely by clubhead speed, which in turn is influenced mostly by the length of the backswing. The longer the swing, the greater the potential speed of the clubhead and the longer the resultant shot.

Backswing
Swing your arms and shoulders
back as a single, connected unit. Keep your rhythm. Keep your weight over your front foot, and let your trunk(core), hips and knees respond freely to the arm swing. Once you are able to negotiate the one-lever chip, repeat the same stroke but add a small wrist break in the backswing. Make certain you finish the shot just as you did when no wrist break was present. With this additional wrist-cocking added, the backswing of the club will lengthen and the shots carry farther. Hinging the wrists can also help when the ball is sitting down in the grass. There are really two chipping techniques (with or without wrist hinge in the backswing).

Change of Direction
This is where a lot of golfers run into trouble, creating jerky or out-of- sequence moves. Think “smooth” as the club transitions from backswing to downswing. Coming down, start your arms and shoulders forward at the same time, with your hands leading the clubhead toward impact.

Through Impact
Feel as if you are swinging down through your address position. Your weight should be forward and hands well ahead of the ball. Keeping your wrists firm, pinch the ball against the turf as your body starts to rotate slightly open. Your arms and shoulders must keep moving. If you hinge the wrists on the backswing than you should learn the two h’s: hinge and hold. Don’t let the clubhead pass under your hands before impact.

Follow-Through
Stay in your posture, and let the club naturally continue out in front of you. Your follow-through should not be longer than your backswing because impact with the ball and the ground slows the club. It is very hard to keep the hands in front of the clubhead at impact if you have a long follow-through. If it is a long chip shot you may actually have more backswing than follow-through. Hold your finish and watch the ball similar to a putt by just swiveling the head.